Machine for producing a plastic-covered glass container

ABSTRACT

The disclosure relates to a machine for making a plastic covering on a rigid base article which in the illustrated form comprises a glass bottle and a conforming shrunken plastic covering thereon. The plastic is fed in oriented sheet form to the turret apparatus, cut into lengths and wrapped and seamed on successive mandrels as sleeves. Bottles are simultaneously processed to preheat condition and indexed over the sleeves, the latter telescopically assembled on the rigid base article, i.e., the bottle, and the combination carried to a heat tunnel. The plastic sleeve shrinks into snug surface fit on the adjacent surface portion of the rigid base article. The bottle is preheated in one of two embodiments by: (1) a preheat tunnel on the machine which raises the bottles from room temperature to about 220*F, or (2) the preheat is carried over as latent heat in the glass bottle from the annealing lehr, a part of the bottle manufacturing process. The machine includes novel subassemblies comprised of (1) a bottle chuck and loading station for assuring proper loading of the bottles on the machine, (2) bottle handling, (3) plastic strip handling and feed mechanism for placing oriented cut lengths onto mandrels of the turret, (4) the turret for making seamed sleeves in succession and feeding them onto registered bottles carried by the bottle handling apparatus, and (5) unloading device for transfer of the covered bottles to a conveyor and with said transfer smoothening the bottom surface of the covering on the bottle.

United States Patent [191 Amberg et al.

[ 1 Oct. 22, 1974 I of N.Y.; Clarence A. Heyne, Sun

City, Ariz.

[73] Assignee: Owens-Illinois lnc., Toledo, Ohio [22] Filed: July 11,1973 [2]] Appl. N0.: 378,383

Related US. Application Data [62] Division of Ser. No. 209,751, Dec. 20,1971, Pat. No.

[52] US. Cl. 432/124, l98/l79 [51] Int. CL... F27!) 9/14 [58] Field ofSearch 432/122, 124; 198/179 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTSl/l95l Hess ..432/l24X l0/l97l Wideman 198/179 Primary Examiner-John J.Camby Attorney, Agent, or Firm-J. R. Nelson [57] ABSTRACT The disclosurerelates to amachine for making a plastic covering on a rigid basearticle which in the illustrated form comprises a glass bottle and aconforming shrunken plastic covering thereon. The plastic is fed inoriented sheet form to the turret apparatus, cut into lengths andwrapped and seamed on successive mandrels as sleeves. Bottles aresimultaneously processed to preheat condition and indexed over thesleeves, the latter telescopically assembled on. the rigid base article,i.e., the bottle, and the combination carried to a heat tunnel. Theplastic sleeve shrinks into snug surface fit on the adjacent surfaceportion of the rigid base article.

The bottle is preheated in one of two embodiments by: (l) a preheattunnel on the machine which raises the bottles from room temperature toabout 220F, or (2) the preheat is carried over as latent heat in theglass bottle from the annealing lehr, a part of the bottle manufacturingprocess.

The machine includes novelsubassemblies comprised of (1) a bottle chuckand loading station for assuring proper loading of the bottles on themachine, (2) bottle handling, (3) plastic strip handling and feedmechanism for placing oriented cut lengths onto mandrels of the turret,(4) the turret for making seamed sleeves in succession and. feeding themonto registered bottles carried by the bottle handling apparatus, and(5) unloading device for transfer of the covered bottles to a conveyorand with said transfer smoothening the bottom surface of the covering onthe bottle.

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1. Container handling apparatus comprising endless conveyor meansincluding a conveyor frame and conveying elements supported by saidframe for movement along an endless path, a plurality ofcontainer-handling chucks, each of said chucks having a housing, meansmounting said housing on said conveying elements for movement therewithin said endless path, said mounting means also slidably connecting eachchuck housing to said conveying elements for sliding movement normal tosaid endless path, guide means on said frame engageable with each saidhousing controlling the position thereof on said conveying elementsduring movement along said endless path, a rod depending from saidhousing with its axis normal to said path, plural rockable chuckelements pivotally connected on said housing depending in a directionnormal to said path, link means, means pivotally connecting the linkmeans to said rod and each of said chuck elements for rocking movementof said elements to and from a container gripping position whereat saidchuck elements are cooperable to grip and support a container in axiaLupright position and rod operating means comprising resilient means insaid housing engaging said rod normally urging the latter in one axialdirection, and means on said frame engageable with said rods duringmovement at selected locations along said endless path for axiallymoving the rod in the other direction.
 2. The container handlingapparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the means connecting the chuckhousings comprises bracket means on said conveying elements having aslide disposed normal to said conveyor path, means on said housinginterengageable with said slide supporting the housing longitudinallyfor movement along said slide, roller means connected to said housing,and the means controlling the position of each housing on the conveyingelements comprises stationary guide means on said conveyor frame aboutsaid endless path engaging said roller means for moving each housingalong said slide in a direction normal to the path of movement of theconveyor elements.
 3. The container handling apparatus defined in claim2 wherein the endless path of the conveyor elements is in a horizontaldirection, and movement of the housing of said chucks is in the verticaldirection, whereby said roller means and guide means accurately controlthe vertical position of the chucks as they move about the endless path.4. The container handling apparatus defined in claim 1 furthercomprising a horizontal loading conveyor moving containers in uprightposition beneath said endless path of the chucks at a loading station,means along the container conveyor engaging the containers and spacingthem in vertical registry with the overhead conveyor chucks, cam meanson said conveyor frame engaging the rod of said chucks for sequentiallyopening the chuck elements during their initial movement in the loadingstation, said guide means engageable with the chuck housing comprising acam track lowering the housings and their chucks to container grippingelevation, beyond initial movement in the loading station, said rodengaging cam means thereafter actuating the rod for closing the chuckswhile in said container gripping position, whereupon the chuckssequentially close about the registered containers and engage them abouttheir one end, said cam track thereafter raising the chucks in elevationthrough sliding movement of said housings to lift the gripped containersfrom said loading conveyor.
 5. The container handling apparatus definedin claim 1, further comprising a horizontal unloading conveyor forreceiving containers from said chucks and extending beneath said endlesspath at an unloading station, said guide means comprising a cam tracklowering the chucks in said unloading station to place the containersadjacent the conveyor surface, and the said cam means includes a segmentin said path beyond the initial lowering movement of the chucks in theunloading station engaging the rod of the chucks, thereby opening thechuck jaws and releasing the container onto said conveyor.
 6. Thecontainer handling apparatus defined in claim 5 further comprising anelongated tunnel structure along said path of the conveying elements andthrough which containers supported by the chucks are carried, saidtunnel being disposed in advance of said unloading station along saidconveyor path, and means for heating containers in said tunnel.
 7. Thecontainer handling apparatus defined in claim 7, wherein the conveyingelements comprise two spaced apart, parallel, endless chains, and rotarymeans on said frame engaging said parallel chains adapted for movingthem through said endless path.
 8. The apparatus defined in claim 1,wherein the means mounting each of the chuck housings on the conveyingelements comprises a carriage bracket having a longitudinal slidewaythereon, complementary slideway engaging means on said housing, wherebythe housing is slidable longitudinally on said bracket, and mount meansconnecting the bracket to said conveying elements.
 9. The apparatusdefineD in claim 8, wherein the conveying elements comprise a pair ofparallel chains adapted to be driven endlessly throughout said path, andthe mount means on said bracket comprises complementary, longitudinallyspaced C-shaped mounts on said bracket, each said mount straddling oneof said parallel chains, and pivotal means in each said mount andextending through said chain.
 10. The apparatus defined in claim 8,wherein the carriage bracket includes a roller means, a pivotal mountingtherefor on the bracket, and a guide track on the frame, the rollerengaging said guide track for defining the movement of the bracket insaid endless path provided by said chains.
 11. The apparatus of claim10, wherein a grouping of two or more consecutive carriage bracketsdisposed along said chains are connected by horizontal stabilizer meanscomprising a horizontal bar connected on the same one of said C-shapedmounts on each of the carriage brackets of such grouping, pluralrotatable rollers along said horizontal bar, and a guide slot definingmeans connected on the frame, the plural rollers on said bar being inrunning engagement with said guide slot.
 12. The apparatus defined inclaim 1, wherein each of the chucks includes arbor means connected tosaid rockable elements and pivotally supporting the link means, saidarbor means encircling said rod, an annular wheel element connectedconcentrically with said arbor, and a rail on the frame extending alongpredetermined portions of said endless path, said wheel element engagingsaid rail in those portions for imparting rotary movement to the arborand chuck elements.